Having read and loved Marieke Ninkamp’s other book This is Where it Ends I was left a little disappointed by this one. The setting is interesting and I was invested in the characters but the whole thing together fell short for me sadly.

Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite meet my expectations. However, I have a generally positive view on it after reading. I still think that This is Where it Ends will always be Marieke’s masterpiece, but this was a real original, haunting story.

I struggled a bit with this novel although the premise seemed promising it was tough to process. For that reason I was not able to finish with a good understanding of the story.

DNF'd. I like thrillers but it felt weird and kind of surface level? There was definitely room to amp up the mystery and to create characters that were appealing. Unfortunately, you just have a teenager who doesn't know how to handle grief and halfway through the book I knew we weren't going anywhere significant with the plot.

I remember enjoying Nikkamp's other novel, but found that quite dark and difficult at times, as this one was too, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but something to be aware of.

Sadly this was a DNF for me. I have tried to read other books by this author and always.end up not finishing them.

This book was something. I had mixed reviews. But I enjoyed the read. I loved and hated it. Let’s just say that.

I read this book ages ago and loved it. It is a great story. I did order it for my library at the time.

This book was very good and very honest and representative of those suffering with bipolar disorder. It did well by especially describing a situation in which the person suffering did not have any of the help that they desperately needed. Such a heart-breaking but powerful story.

Great book, love this author and how they can keep my attention to the end! The plot is well developed, characters are believable and they obviously paid attention to detail to make the story worth your time to read.

Before I Let Go by Marieke Nijkamp is a young adult mystery read. After finishing this book I'm beginning to think that perhaps Marieke Nijkamp is just not an author for me. Last year I read This Is Where It Ends and while the idea behind the story was one that I was really taken in with the execution of the book left a lot to be desired for me and unfortunately now I can say the same with Before I Let Go.

I think really my biggest issue with this book came with the character development which was pretty non-existent. Corey is really the only character that felt developed and I find myself hard pressed to say even that as all that is repeated is she and Kyra had been close so now instead of owning up to her own mistakes she is determined to find who is at fault for Kyra's death which should be touching and emotional but instead I just disliked Corey and found myself not caring if other's were at fault or not.

Now as far as the mystery is concerned in this one it is buried within the repetitive nature of Corey blaming the town and eventually does come to light. It's one that I might have been really taken with as there was a creepy and disturbing vibe but if I blinked while reading I would have missed it as that part of the story wasn't developed very well in my opinion. So as sad as I am to say this one just wasn't for me and as much as the ideas behind Ms. Nijkamp's stories appeal to me I think this may be my last attempt.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This book was... fine. It's hard to articulate it more thoroughly, It was interesting enough to keep me reading, but bland and forgettable enough that I couldn't describe the plot to you a week later if you paid me. I enjoyed the setting, but found the characters boring and hard to care about. I ended up skipping a lot, and speed reading it when I originally read this book, which is why I didn't give it a review originally. It was kind of meh.

2.5- 3 stars

I don’t like being totally negative in a review but I just didn’t like this one. I loved THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS and was really looking forward to reading something else from the author but I just could not connect with BEFORE I LET GO. I thought it was written in a very weird style and it just fell flat. I thought it was going to be more of a murder mystery/suspense but it was just odd.

Sadly, a DNF. I have tried several books by Nijkamp, and I just think I don't mesh well with the author's style.

Found the book too depressing as it deal with Mental Health issues. So beware if this is a trigger for you.

I enjoyed Nijkamp's earlier work, which is why I requested this. However, I ended up hating their more recent books, and haven't been able to work myself up to reading this one. I think this author is just not for me.

I’m glad I got to reading this and enjoyed several aspects of the story however, there were some concerning bits about character development and connecting to it.

I found my pace in reading slowing down as I was so fed up of things not getting to a point where I could chew over my thoughts.

There are sensitive issues in this book and I thought that was done well.

I read this authors previous book and gave it 3 stars. I’ll try one more time.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis of this book sounded intriguing to me so I requested a copy to read.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during this 2nd attempt, I have
decided to stop reading this book
and state that this book just wasn't for me.

The concept is interesting along with the back & forth structure of the storytelling. There’’s some depth to the characters of Corey and Kyra but I do feel their sexuality should or could have been explored further. The other characters are also not given enough attention to be very believable. The mental illness storyline is important to explore but I feel it becomes weakened by the supernatural element of the story. I do think it will appeal to teenagers though.

This story sucked me in from the outset. It is a creepy and twisty tale, that is beautifully written. The atmosphere is claustrophobic with the isolated setting. I'll be thinking about this one for a long time. 5 stars from me!